


Hay fever sucks less when I’m with you

by Queerklancing



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allergies, Caretaking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Keith (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, M/M, Shy and flustered boys, Sick Lance (Voltron), Sickfic, Smitten Keith (Voltron), Sneezing, Worried Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 17:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14623566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queerklancing/pseuds/Queerklancing
Summary: Keith takes Lance out on a date to the annual spring festival in a nearby park. Unfortunately, Lance suffers from bad hay fever. But he’ll be okay. Right?





	Hay fever sucks less when I’m with you

**Author's Note:**

> This took me WAY longer than I anticipated because I was in a weird writing low ;A; This fic is the second giveaway prize I wrote! The winner asked for Lance with hay fever and I did my best to deliver! I am WEAK for sick and whump fics, so I had A LOT of fun writing this :D
> 
> AGAIN I have to thank all of you guys for all the lovely comments I got on my last fic! I still can't believe that so many people read the things I write and I'm so SO grateful to everyone who takes the time to tell me what they like about my writing! :D Thank you a billion times!

* * *

Hair? Check.

Flawless skin? Check.

His favorite blue sweater? Check.

Skin-tight jeans that show off his ass? Check.

Sweaty hands from nervousness? Check.

Lance sighs as he takes in his reflection in the mirror. He looks great - he spent almost two hours getting ready after all - and usually this boosts his confidence before a date.

But today is different.

Because this time he’s on his fifth date with the same person. Which – to his own dissatisfaction – has never happened before. Lance isn’t one to lead others on, so until now he’s always cut things off after three dates.

But it’s different with Keith.

At first, Lance hated his guts, but it soon turned into something else entirely, and he found himself falling hard for that stoic boy with a soft heart.

Lance groans as he presses both of his hands to his face, his cheeks warm under his palms.

He’s head over heels in love with Keith. There’s no other way to put it.

Last week they shared their first kiss. It wasn’t even all that romantic. They only went to see a movie, and suddenly in the middle of it, Keith had whispered his name. Lance had turned and then there were soft lips pressed to his, tasting sweet like coke and popcorn.

Lance squeals, spins around, and drops face first onto his bed. It’s the most magical kiss he’s ever had. His heart is still beating like crazy every time he remembers it, remembers the shy look on Keith’s face afterwards, only illuminated by the blue hue of the cinema screen.

“He’s way too pretty,” Lance groans into his pillow. He hugs it to his chest as he flips around to stare at his ceiling. They didn’t talk about it after that, so he’s not sure where they stand right now. A feeling that leaves him both excited and terrified. The possibility that this is nothing but a short fling for Keith makes his stomach twist in anxiety.

He shakes his head. No way. Keith isn’t like that. Also, he wouldn’t have asked him out for another date tonight, right?

Lance pushes the pillow up to hide his grin behind it. Keith won’t tell him where they’ll go tonight, and Lance can’t help but kick his feet, giddy with anticipation. Will he take him out for another movie? Candle light dinner? A midnight boat tour?

Wouldn’t that be romantic? A magical boat tour in a warm spring night. A deep sigh escapes Lance’s lips at the thought. Well, no matter what Keith chooses for them, Lance knows it will be lovely.

* * *

Of all the things in the world, Keith chose the worst date possible for someone like Lance.

Lance had been bouncing in the passenger seat when they drove out of town, but Keith still wouldn’t tell him where they were going. All of Lance’s teasing and even his best puppy-eyes wouldn’t get that playful smirk off Keith’s face.

“Be patient,” he laughed as he turned a corner, “We’re almost there.”

And sure enough, Keith pulled into a parking space only a few minutes later. Their destination didn’t look like anything though.

Until they walked a few minutes and arrived under a huge archway - where Lance is currently frozen on the spot.

Because the beautiful, flowery archway is the entrance to a small fun-fair.

“It’s an annual spring-festival,” Keith explains now, eyes glinting with expectation. “They have all kinds of foods and games. There’s even a firework tonight.”

Lance’s heart jumps into his throat at the sight of Keith’s expression. He’s so proud of himself, so excited - and Lance sure as hell isn’t going to ruin that.

“Keith,” he starts, “ _this_  is the best. date.  _ever_!”

“Really?” Keith asks, cheeks flushing a beautiful pink that makes Lance’s stomach flip.

“Yeah,” he says, and he really wants to lean in and kiss that face, but there are too many people around, and he knows that Keith isn’t fond of displaying affection in public.

Instead, he reaches out, and quickly squeezes Keith’s hand.

“It’s lovely. Thank you,” he whispers, and Keith’s lips curve into that soft smile that always steals the breath out of Lance’s lungs.

“I’m glad you like it,” Keith whispers back.

So, what if the festival is located in a giant park, filled with all kinds of trees in full bloom? Fuck you, spring, fuck you, hay fever. Lance will fight everything for this smile.

Keith awkwardly clears his throat when a group of giggling girls passes them, and Lance let’s go of his hand.

“Well, shall we?”

“Sure!” Lance replies, and together they walk past the entrance and into the crowd.

It won’t be so bad, Lance tries to convince himself. Yeah, he didn’t take his meds because they make him drowsy, but he’ll be okay. Right?

* * *

 

As to be expected: Lance is wrong.

Dead wrong.

He’s fine at first. He really is.

But soon enough he can no longer ignore the tingle in his nose, or the increasing sniffles. He quickly presses the back of his hand to the underside of his nose, hoping that he didn’t make a mess of himself already. Of course, he didn’t bring any tissues either.

He already sneezed a few times, stifling them into the crook of his arm, and luckily Keith hasn’t noticed so far. Lance lets out a deep sigh. It’s a shame that he’s so distracted, he can’t even appreciate all the pretty fairy lights, put up in the (deadly) trees, or the delicious smell of food in the air.

“Hey, do you want some funnel cake? I know it’s your favorite,” Keith suddenly says, turning around on the crowded walkway with a wide smile on his lips. Lance grins at him.

Keith’s happy face is still worth all the suffering.

Lance opens his mouth to answer him - when his breath suddenly hitches. He only has a second to turn his head to his shoulder, before he lurches forward with a quiet sneeze.

He groans softly and sniffles.

“Bless you.”

“Thanks.” Lance looks up trough teary eyes - and sees an amused grin on Keith’s lips.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“I know you, this isn’t your ‘ _Nothing_ ’- face,” Lance groans.

“It’s just,” Keith starts, grin only getting wider.

“ _What_?”

“Kitten-sneeze.” Keith laughs, and heat rises to Lance’s cheeks.

“Oh, shut up,” he mumbles, jabbing Keith’s side with his elbow.

“I like it,” Keith admits, and now there’s this playful expression on his face that always makes Lance weak in the knees. “It’s cute.”

“You’re an idiot,” Lance squeaks, face so hot that he knows there’s a visible blush on his cheeks.

That much for leaving his sneezes unnoticed.

He sniffles again and blinks a few times. His eyes are starting to get itchy as well, but he knows that it would be a grave mistake to touch them.

“So, what about that cake?” Keith finally asks, turning Lance’s attention away from his misery.

“Lead the way, mullet man.”

* * *

The world is a bleary mess in front of Lance. He blinks rapidly, trying to clear his sight, but it’s no use. He lifts his arm and rubs the edge of his sleeve over his teary eyes to get at least a little bit of relief. Lance would love to rub at them wholeheartedly with his fingers, but that would just irritate them even more.

To make things even worse, his nose started running like crazy. Lance is constantly sniffing, wiping under it with the back of his hand, but it’s a losing fight.

And to top all of this, he just lost sight of Keith. Lance scans the crowd, but he can’t see him, and his head feels a little like cotton.

“There you are!”

Lance flinches in surprise when someone grabs him by the elbow. He gets spun around and is met with a pair of dark concerned eyes.

“Don’t just run off on your own, geez.”

“Sorry,” Lance mumbles, and wipes his nose with the edge of his sleeve. He pulls a face at the gesture, but he really can’t help it anymore.

“Hey,” Keith says, and his voice is laced with concern, “are you okay?”

“Huh? Y-Yeah, of course!” Lance says hurriedly, flailing his hands in the air.

“You look a little …tired.” Keith hesitates, sending Lance a scrutinizing look. Lance almost laughs at that. He must look like shit, his nose and eyes red from all the irritation - and he’s been so confident about his appearance earlier.

“I’m fine! Really, there’s just something around this area that’s messing with my nose,” Lance lies. “Let’s move on, alright?”

“Sure,” Keith says after another second of hesitation. “The fireworks are about to start anyway, so let’s find a good spot to watch them.”

“Sounds good!” Lance says and turns around, ready to get this over with quickly, when he’s pulled back by his elbow.

“Um, maybe we should,” Keith starts, and Lance is surprised to find a deep blush on his cheeks,” walk like this? So, you don’t … get lost again?” Keith asks, and slides his hand into Lance’s while averting his eyes.

Lance’s heart is about ready to burst out of his chest, and he can’t fight the wide silly smile spreading on his lips. This boy is way too adorable.

“Good idea.”

Keith returns the smile, a little shy, but happy.

They continue to slowly fight their way through the crowd, bodies pressed together, and Lance turns in surprise when Keith pulls his hand back.

“Sorry, my palms are sweaty,” Keith mumbles, wiping his hand on his jeans, before he reaches out again, easily lacing their fingers together.

Lance can’t help the giggle that bubbles out of his mouth. “You’re so awkward,” Lance teases, which earns him a glare, and an almost painful squeeze of his fingers.

Lance only laughs harder, but his eyebrows pinch together when his laughter turns into throaty coughs. He takes in a deep breath, wincing at the wheezing sound rattling through his lungs.

Oh no.

“Shut up, you’re just as awkward!” Keith continues, seemingly untroubled by Lance’s short outburst, “On our first date you were so nervous you almost threw up the fancy dinner I paid for.”

“That was different!” Lance yelps, “I was-“

He’s cut off by a sharp tingle in his nose, and before he has the chance to turn away, he inhales a stuttering breath and releases a string of short wet sneezes. Tears spring to his eyes, and he stops in his tracks. He only has time to raise his arm and stifle the rest of the sneezes into the back of his hand. He groans as pain pulses through his sinuses, a headache forming behind his eyes, and he sniffs wetly – this time he knows that he made a mess of himself when he wipes his nose in disgust.

“Jesus, bless you,” Keith says, and Lance doesn’t dare to meet his gaze. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” Lance wheezes, his voice already hoarse from his sore throat. “I bet it’s the greasy food smell getting to me.” Lance tries to laugh it off, but the itch in his lungs makes him stifle another cough instead.

Keith only scoffs. “You  _love_  all the greasy food, but yeah let’s go somewhere else.”

Lance sighs in relief. Keith seems a little suspicious, but not overly concerned. Lance really doesn’t want to ruin their date because of his stupid allergies.

“Um, here, I saved those earlier,” Keith suddenly says, handing Lance a couple of red napkins, “ ‘Cause I know you’re a messy eater.”

“Lies,” Lance says, accepting the napkins with a mix of relief and embarrassment. He blows his nose, closing his eyes at the satisfying sensation - although the rough fabric irritates his skin even more.

He’s so exhausted, he just wants to lie down and sleep forever.

“Let’s find a place to sit,” Keith says.

Or sit. Sitting sounds like a dream.

“Alrigbt,” Lance says through his now blocked nose. Great.

* * *

They find a lovely place on a bench right under a tree in full-bloom, and Lance is sure he just signed his death sentence. His once pristine napkin is already crumbled into a wet mess, his eyes so swollen and itchy that he can only squint, and now his lungs make a loud rattling wheezing sound with every breath he takes.

He’s going to die.

They sat down fifteen minutes ago, and Lance has been sneezing non-stop for at least five minutes. Keith is looking at him with open concern now, and Lance knows that he’s at his limit. There’s no way he can hide any longer.

“Seriously, Lance, what’s going on?” Keith asks, a warm hand placed on his arm.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Lance says nasally, wet napkin pressed to his upper lip.

“No, you’re not,” Keith says, eyebrows furrowed in worry. “You look like shit.”

Well, that one stings.

“Geez, thank you,” Lance says, and tries to laugh. But the laugh grates through his irritated lungs, and in the next instant Lance finds himself doubled over, wet coughs tearing through his chest with an unsettling rattle. He tries to breathe in, but only wheezes pathetically, tears rolling over his heated cheeks.

He’s absentmindedly aware of a soothing hand on his back, but his mind feels fuzzy, and he can’t breathe. When he finally takes in a deep breath, he’s surprised to find himself leaning heavily into Keith’s side, an arm slung securely around his waist.

“Lance,” Keith says, a warning in his voice that makes Lance blink up at him through bleary eyes. “Tell me the truth.”

Lance groans in exhaustion, pressing his face into Keith’s shoulder.

“I might,” he starts, his voice so husky he winces. “I might have really bad hay fever.”

“ _What?_ ”

Keith’s voice is so sharp that Lance flinches, feeling how Keith’s arm tenses around him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you  _tell_  me?”

“I didn’t want to ruin our date,” Lance croaks, fisting his fingers into Keith’s shirt. “I was so excited, and you planned all of this.”

“Lance,” Keith says, and he sounds so disappointed that a big lump forms in Lance’s throat. “I don’t care about the stupid festival.”

Warm hands touch Lance’s cheek and Keith gently tilts his head back. “I care about  _you_ ,” he says, looking at Lance with a gaze so full of affection and concern that Lance can no longer hold back a sob.

“Okay,” he sniffles as tears roll over his cheeks.

Keith sighs, pulling him in again. “Let’s get you home, okay?”

Lance only nods, burying his face into Keith’s shirt again. He’s sure he’s leaving a wet mess, but his mind is so hazy he doesn’t care anymore.

“Can you walk?”

Lance groans weakly. His limbs feel so heavy, and he doesn’t want to open his itching eyes again. Walking through the crowded park seems like the biggest obstacle of his life.

“You know what, never mind. This is faster,” Keith states, and before Lance knows what’s happening he feels how a hand slips under his knees, and then he’s being lifted into strong arms.

“Hold on tight,” Keith says, voice warm and gentle right next to Lance’s ear. A shiver runs down Lance’s spine, and he tightly wraps his arms around Keith’s neck. He knows he should be embarrassed that he’s being carried like a princess, but he feels so miserable that he just melts into Keith’s embrace.

* * *

The hot water running over Lance’s body, washing the pollen out of his hair and eyes, is like a gift from god himself. Lance sneezes freely, hot steam helping to clear his nose, and he feels so satisfied and relieved that he almost crumples to his knees.

He dries himself off, changing into new untainted clothes (his old ones went right into quarantine -aka the washing machine), and steps out into his small living room where Keith is sitting on the small sofa, zapping through TV-channels.

Apparently, he stole some of Lance’s clothes because the shirt he’s wearing is way too big. It hangs loosely from his frame, revealing the sharp lines of his collarbones, and the slender curve of his neck. Droplets of water fall from his wet hair that is pulled up into a messy ponytail. He must have washed it in the sink.

It’s stupid, but this little gesture of care and concern makes Lance’s heart swell in his chest.

“Hey, feeling better?” Keith asks, when he spots Lance at the door.

“Yeah,” Lance croaks, a grin on his face as he walks to the sofa.

“Then come here.”

To his surprise, Keith opens his arms and Lance’s stomach flips at the invitation. He doesn’t hesitate and soon he finds himself settled against Keith’s chest, securely cradled in his arms.

Lance sighs, sinking further into the embrace as he closes his eyes. His nose is still a little runny, the skin around his eyes and nose irritated from all the rubbing, and there’s still a headache lurking behind his eyes – but he couldn’t be any happier.

“You really scared me back then, you know,” Keith suddenly says, and Lance leans back to look at him in surprise. “How did I never notice you have hay fever?”

“I’m good at hiding things,” Lance mumbles, and he doesn’t like the way Keith furrows his brows at that.

“Don’t do that. Tell me about these things, okay?”

“Yeah,” Lance sighs. “I know it was stupid, but I was really looking forward to this date.”

“Me too,” Keith admits. “But I’d rather spend it somewhere inside than having you die in my arms.”

“I wasn’t dying!” Lance yelps but ducks his head when he sees the glare Keith sends him. “Okay maybe just a little.”

“I was worried, you idiot,” Keith says, nudging Lance’s temple with his fist.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Lance whispers, and then groans, hiding his face against Keith’s chest where he can feel Keith’s steady heartbeat. “I can’t believe you saw me like this. After I spent all this time getting ready.”

Keith chuckles at that, and Lance feels slender fingers run soothingly through his hair.

“It’s not so bad.”

“Really?” Lance asks, sniffling as he leans back to look at Keith. “Am I still pretty?”

Keith’s fingers slide down to Lance’s neck, sending a shiver down his spine - but it’s the gentle look of love in those dark eyes that makes Lance’s breath hitch in his throat.

“Gorgeous,” Keith whispers, and leans in to steal the last breath from Lance’s lips.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you liked this story, and I would LOVE to hear what you guys think! :D Your comments are my constant motivation to write more, and they mean the world to me! I know sometimes it's hard to come up with something to say, so here's a little inspiration:
> 
> 1\. AKUAHKWjhw - Keysmashing is always appreciated  
> 2\. Tell me in emojis or reaction gifs! (｡’▽’｡)♡  
> 3\. ANYTHING IN CAPSLOCK IS FINE TOO  
> 4\. Seriously I'll love and appreciate every comment I get! If it's an essay, your favorite scene, a line you liked or just garbled screaming! I LOVE YOU GUYS, and you'll probably get a really enthusiastic reply from me haha :D


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